This Teen's Tweet for an Urgent, Rare Bone Marrow Match Is Going Viral

A British teen fighting leukemia asked the Internet for help finding a bone marrow match. Now, her tweet is going viral.

Zara Al Shaikh, 13, was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 11. She went into remission at 12, but by 13, her cancer had returned. For her best chance of survival, she's in desperate need of a bone marrow donor, ABC News reports.

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According to her dad, Dr. Loua Al Shaikh, an intensive care physician and anesthesiologist, Zara's heritage might make it more difficult for her to find an exact match — her mom is white, her dad is of Middle Eastern descent. People with similar heritages are more likely to share the same tissue type.

On February 11, Zara launched a Twitter account (@Match4Z) to spread news of her search for a bone marrow donor online. Her tweets quickly began going viral.

I urgently need a bone marrow transplant. I have a very rare tissue type due to mixed ethnicity (Arabic/British). Pls help me find a match

Officials at one bone marrow registry even told Zara's dad that they had a twelve-fold increase in the number of people who signed up in a single day after Zara's tweet went viral, ABC News reports. And just think — that's all thanks to one determined 13-year-old's tweets.

Zara is currently undergoing chemotherapy so she'll be prepared for a bone marrow transplant when a match turns up. If you'd like to register, head over to Delete Blood Cancer to see if you're eligible.

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